Automatic wagon-brake



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.'

E. SKAAR. Y AUTOMATIC WAGON BRAKE.

PIO-589,512'. Patented Sept. 7,1897

Yu: wams PETERS co. PNoTaLl-rHo.. wAsmNaroM u. c.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

E. SKAAR. AUToMATIo WAGON BRAKE.

w No. 589,512. N Patented Sept. 7,1897.

raras- Nrrnn .Artnr l AUTOMATIC WAGON-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 589,512, dated September 7, 1897.

Application filed December 7, 1896. Serial No. 614,746. (No model.)

To all whom it' may concern:

Be it known that I, ED SKAAR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kenyon, in the county of Goodhue and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Vagon -Brakes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the in vention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Myinvention relates to brakes for wheeled vehicles, and has forits object to provide such a brake which will be automatically applied whenever in going downhill the vehicle is run forward by its own gravity, so that the draftrigging or harness of the draftanimal is caused to hold back on the same.

To this end my invention consists of the novel devices and combinationy of devices hereinafter described, and delined in the claims.

The preferred form of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein, like letters referring to like parts throughout the several vicws- Figure l is a view in'longitudinal vertical section taken through a wagon shown as equipped with my improved brake. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the wagon and brake shown in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the brake device and a portion of the wagon running-gear, to which the same is secured, the other portions of the wagon beingrcmoved and some parts of said brake-beam being broken away; and Fig. 4 is a view, partly in side elevation, but principally in longitudinal vertical section, of the end of the wagontongue and neck-yoke.

Referring to the parts of the wagon, a a a2 indicate, respectively, the wheels, the axle, and the pole of the yfront truck, and a3 a4 ai indicate, respectively, the wheels, the reachrod, and the reach-rod vguide-yoke of the rear truck. As shown, the wagon tongue or pole a2 is pivoted on a rod a6, and the forward end of the reach-rod a4 is pivoted to the front truck on a coupling-pin a7.

as indicates an ordinary neck-yoke pro-v vided with an ordinary pole-ring a, which works on the end of the pole, and am indicates an ordinary two-horse equalizer to which the l whiffletrees (not shown) are attached. This equalizer am is for the purpose of applying my invention 'secured to the pole a2 and to the pole-strap au by means of a pole-pin alwhich works through a perforation in said equalizer am and through longitudinal slots C013 and c, respectively, in said pole a2 and said strap au. These slots L13 and am allow the equalizer a limited to-and-fro movement on the tongue, and the lower end of the pin cl2 projects below the pole. The purpose of this construction will later appear.

b indicates the brake-beam, which extends transversely across the wagon justin front of the rear wheels, and it is supported on the forwardly-projecting ends of `a pair of supporting-arn1s.b', the rear ends of which are rigidly secured to the rear axle. The brakebeam b is thus supported with freedom for a limited movement to and from the working faces of the rear wheels by means of bearingirons b2, secured to said beam b, and guideboltsb3, passed through said irons b2 and working in slots b4 in the ends of said supporting-arms b. At its ends and cooperating one with each of the rear-wheel faces the brakebeam Z) is provided with a pair of brake-shoes, each of which in the preferred construction shown consists of a shoe-block b5, a scraperspring Z1, secured to the face of said block b5,

a lining to the con cave of the scraper-spring 196. It will be noted that the upper ends of the scraper-springs h6 project above the parts b5 and 127 and are turned rearward` so that they will engage the running faces of the wheels a3 before the wearing-strips 11T are thrown into contact therewith,tlnis acting as Scrapers and serving to clean the running faces of the wheels before the brakes are applied. To operate this brake-beam, a pair of camlevers c are pivotallymounted at their intermediate portions on a pivot-bar4 c','secured tothe forward end ofthe reach-rod guideyoke a5. The upper ends of these levers c are provided with cam-surfaces which work in the grooves of bearing-plates bs, secured on the front face of the brake-beam b. In

order to hold the cam endV of these levers c in working position against the bearing-plates o8 and also to cause the said levers to withdraw the brake-shoes from working position,

and a wearin g-stri p hl, secured to and forming ICO slots c2 are out in said levers concentric to their cam-faces, and in these slots work antifriction-rollers c3, pivoted on the free ends of cooperating links c4, the rear ends of which links are pivotally connected to the brake h by means of short studs or lugs c5, rigidly secured to said brake-beam. This permits the proper adjustment of the brake-shoes.

The lower ends of the cam-lever c are connected for simultaneous and parallel movement by means of a triangular bracket d, pivotally connected thereto at its opposite corners. The rear end of a draw-rod d is passed through the apex and base of the bracket CZ and is ad justably secured thereto by means of a set-screw d2.

The forward end of the rod d is pivotally connected to the lower end of a lever f, the intermediate portion of which is pivoted to the forwardly-projecting' lugs of a fulerumbracket j", which is rigidly secured to the forward central portion of the front axle a.

A push-rod or thrust-bar g is mounted to work with freedom for a limited longitudinal movement in a groove g cut in the under side of the pole a2. The rod g is held upward within the groove g' by means of a long keeper-plate g2, which is removably secured to the botton face of the pole and runs almost the entire length of the same, but terminates a short distance from its free end. The rear end of the rod g is pivotally connected at g3 to the forward end of a short link g4, the rear end of which is in turn pivotally connected to the upper end of the lever f. The lower end of the pole-pin al? is passed through a suitable seat formed in the rod g at a point where it passes the said pin. This of course will cause the rod g, pin am, and equalizer am to move together longitudinally of the pole. The relations of these parts are such that when the equalizer al@ is drawn forward, so that the pin a strikes the forward limits of the slots a and a in the pole a2 and strap all, respectively, the brake-shoes will, through the intermediate connections, be moved into their idle positions, or away from the ruiming faces of the rear wheels. Hence as long as the draft or drawing strain is applied to the equalizer the brakes will be held out of their working posit-ions.

Near its forward end and forward of the outer extremity of the keeper-plate g2 the rod gis provided with a pair of depending fingers g5, between which the ring a of the neck-yoke u8 is applied, as shown in Figs. l and -l-. At its extreme forward end the rod g is shown as provided with a iin ger-ring g, which when the thrust-rod g is drawn forward and said ring turned upward over the end of the pole serves to hold the brakes in their inoperative position.

Assuming that the draft animals are hitched tothe wagon in the ordin ary mannerthat is, to the neck-yoke as and the equalizer d10- by means of the ordinary or suitable harness or draft-rigging, the automatic action of the brake will be substantially as follows: As already stated, as long as the drawing strain is applied to draw the wagon the brakes will be held idle or released. Hillen, however, as in going downhill for instance, the wagon under the action of gravity is caused to run forward by itself, so that as the draftanimals hold back on their harness or draftrigging the neck-yoke as will be drawn rearward on the pole, and inasmuch as the drawing strain on the equalizer am is now released, this back pull on the neck-yoke a8 will force the said rod g, together with the link g* and other parts carried thereby, toward the rear. As is obvious by inspection of the drawings, this rearward movement of the thrust or push rod g will, through the intermediate connections described, force the brake-beam b rearward and the workin g faces of the brake-shoes into contact with the ruiming faces of the rear wheels. It is also obvious that the greater the force or tendency the wagon may have to run forward or downhill by gravity proportionally greater will be thev force with which the brakes will be set. Hence it will be practicallyj ust as easy to prevent the wagon from running away in running down a very steep hill as it will in running down a hill of very gradual incline. As soon as the bottom of the hill is reached and the drawing strain is again applied to the equalizer d10 the brakes will be released and thrown out of their working position in a manner already described.

In my preferred arrangement of the brakes the relations of the bearing-plates bs to the cam-lever c and their pivots are such that when the brakes are set they will be selflocking-that is, will be set so that they will of themselves remain set. This action is due to the fact that the point of contact between the cam ends ofthe level' c and the bearingplate is, when the brakes are set, thrown so close to a dead-center that there will be but little tendency of the pressure on the brakeshocs to throw the said levers c into their releasing positions. The self-locking action of the brakes is further assisted by the friction between the beam-strips h' and the bearingarms b2.

Attention is called to the fact that when the brakes stand in their released position the pivot-joint g3 between the rod g and link' g4 stands directly under and close to the pivotrod c6 of the pole a2. Hence when the free end of the pole is dropped to the ground this pivotal joint g3 will buckle without causing any perceptible movement of the brake-operating connections. It will be noted, however, that this pivot-joint g8 is such that it can buckle or turn in one direction only.

lt will 'be understood, of course, that various alterations in the details of construction above set forth may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention. For instance, so far as the broad idea of my invention is concerned, the draft-riggin g might take various forms and mightbc applied to the IIO brake connections in various different ways. Furthermore, the term draft-rigging,7 as used in this specification and in certain of the claims, is used in a very generic sense and is intended to include all draft appliances, whether the same be in the form of a harness for a draft animal or animals or connections to a mechanical or artificial power device.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

l. The combination with a wheeled vehicle and draft-rigging, of a brake-beam mounted to slide on suitable guides and provided with brake-shoes at its ends, and automatic operating connections from said draft-rigging to said brake-beam, involving a pair of camlevers, the free ends of which are connected to a common link or connection and the cam ends of which act against the intermediate portion of4 said sliding brake-beam, substantially as described.

2. The lcombination with a wheeled vehicle and draft-rigging, of a brake-beam mounted to slide on suitable guides and provided with brake-shoes at its ends, and automatic operating connections from said draft-rigging to said brake-beam, involving the cam-levers c, connected for parallel movements, provided with the slots c2 and working with their cam ends against the intermediate portion of said brake-beam, and links secured on said brakebeams and provided with parts that work in said slots c2, to retract the brakeshoes, substantially as described.

3. The combination with the wheeled vehicle and draft-rigging, of a brake-beam mounted to slide on suitable guides, and provided with brake-slices at its ends, and operative connections from said draft-rigging to said brake-beam, involvingthe cam-levers c, connected at their lower ends to a common link or connection, and the bearing-plat s-ZJ8 secured to the intermediate portion of said brake beam and provided with vertical grooves in which the cam ends of said levers c work, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a wheeled vehicle and draft-rigging, of the brake-beam b' mounted to slide on suitable guides and provided at its ends with brake-shoes b5 and at its intermediate portion with the grooved bearing-plates hs, the cam-levers c pivoted at c and connected at their lower ends to the link-head d, the rod d' adjustably securable to said head d, the slots c2 in the cam ends of said levers c, and the link connections c4 secured to said brake-beam b and provided with antifriction rollers c3 which work in said slots c2 and serve to hold the cam ends of said levers c against said bearing-plates D8, substantially as described.

5. The combination with a wheeled vehicle and draftrigging, of a brake, and connections from said brake to said draft-rigging, provided with an adjustable rod or link section and arranged to automatically and positively apply and release the brakes, respectively, under the holdback and draft strains on said draft-rigging, substantially as described.

G. The combination with a Wheeled vehicle, of a brake shoe or shoes operative on the wheel or wheels of the same, and provided each with a projecting spring scraper-section arranged to engage the coperating Wheel, in advance o f the application of the brake.

7. The combination with a wheeled vehicle, of one or more brake-slices involving each the shoe-block b5, the spring scraper-section ZJ and the Wearing-face 197 arranged and operating substantially as described.

8. The combination with a wheeled vehicle, of a brake device involving,'the brake-beam b, provided with brake-shoes at its ends, the bearing-plates hs on said beam l), the camlevers c pivoted at c', provided with cam ends engaging the plates D8 and having the slots c2, the antifriction-rollers cB working in the slots c2 and supported by the cooperating strap c4 and studs c5, the bracket d pivoted to the lower ends of'said levers c, and operating connections extending from said bracket d, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ED SKAAR.

lVitnesses:

KNUT. A. ROE, OLE K. KROKEN. 

